N1 bike crash: best friends to have combined funeral
"It is a tremendous shock and we do not understand what happened"
POLOKWANE – As they were best friends, the two young men who lost their lives in a motorcycle accident on the N1 on Saturday will have a combined funeral.
Pieter Potgieter (20) and Nicky du Preez (19) were travelling on a motorcycle when they were involved in a head-on collision with a bakkie.
Polokwane Police Spokesperson, WO Lesiba Ramashaba, says the accident happened around 02:20 on Saturday morning.
“The driver of the bakkie sustained injuries and was taken to hospital, while the passenger of the bakkie was not injured. A case of culpable homicide has been opened, but no arrests have been made as yet.”
Nicky’s mother, Zelda, says they were on the scene and they are still shocked and confused about what led to the accident.
It is a tremendous shock and we do not understand what happened.
“Nicky was a spontaneous, bubbly child who was very loving. We will miss him,” she says.
Pieter’s mother, Elsabé Scharneck, was very distraught following the accident. She says Pieter was a sunshine child who always laughed. “He was a dedicated child of God. I just miss him so much.”
Although the young men did not belong to a motorcycle club, bikers from across the city expressed their condolences on the Facebook page, RIP Fellow Bikers; Memorial Lane And Bike accidents.
Deon Froelich, a fellow biker who was on the scene said: “the only words I have is that it is a tragic loss. Our hearts and prayers go out to their family and friends. Helmets up”.
The funeral service will be held at the Lede in Christus Kerk in Tzaneen on Saturday, 2 July at 11:00. The church is situated on the corner of Pieter Joubert and Jopie Botha Streets.
